King's Game
by JokertheMatrix
Summary: Chessverse. Alfred is a young and reckless king who fights for his beliefs; Feliciano is a timid king who fights for the ones he loves. Neither are prepared for the upcoming war between their kingdoms, something that will test them to no end. Multiple pairings
1. White: Eburneus

**I really shouldn't be doing this when I have two unfinished stories in my hands, but I _really_ wanted to write this XD Anyways, what inspired me to write this story is this fan-art I saw by this Japanese person (whose name I have forgotten) who drew the Hetalia characters Chess style! She did 3 sets; the Allies, Axis, and the Nordics. Each set had 5 pieces (King, Queen, Rook, Knight, Bishop) but done as if the Hetalia characters were the pieces. I _adore_ her designs (despite their amazing complexity), so I wanted to write a Chesstalia story; word of warning, her designs are seriously complicated (look them up and you'll see what I mean), so I apologize if I failed to describe them in a way that does them justice.**

**Hetalia isn't mine, and neither are the clothing designs or the positions of the characters (I only own the story~). Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

_I had a feeling you would come._

…

_What is this? Oh, it's this interesting game called "chess". Would you like to play a game with me?_

…

_You don't know how to play? It's ok, I'll teach you! Chess is a two player game with two opposing sides, most commonly black and white. The objective of the game is to "capture" the king; a "capture" is when a piece takes an opposing piece and takes its place. Chess pieces cannot share the same square; you either capture the piece or move into another square. Also, you cannot capture your own piece, nor can you jump over a piece to get into another square. You can capture a king by trapping it so that no matter what move it makes, an opposing piece can capture it. Other than the king, there are five other pieces; the pawn, the bishop, the knight, the rook, and the queen, in order of their value. Each piece moves and captures pieces in different ways, so pay attention._

_First of all, the pawns. Pawns can move two squares forward in their turn, but from any other turn, they can only move one square in front of them, and they cannot go back a square. Pawns capture the pieces diagonally in front of them, moving that pawn into another row. The most numerous piece, the pawn is considered the weakest, but seasoned players know that pawns are the souls of the game; beware the pawns, for if given the chance, they can turn into something more powerful._

_The next piece I will discuss is the bishop. There are two bishops for each side, one occupying a white square, the other occupying a black square. Bishops can move any number of squares diagonally into any other square of the same color it started on and captures pieces the same way. An influential piece, this particular piece can control both wings simultaneously, however, the bishop is often hemmed by other pieces in the opening and middle game; beware the bishop in the endgame, for the lack of pieces gives this long-ranged user more room to play._

_Similarly, there are two knights for each side, the one closest to the Queen the "Queen's Knight" with the one closest to the King being the "King's Knight". A madman's piece, the knight moves and captures by going two squares up, down, left or right and one square up, down, left or right, forming an "L". They are the only piece that can "jump", or go over, other pieces, also making it the only piece that can threaten the Queen without being in direct danger by the Queen. In terms of value, the knight is on par with the bishop; however, unlike the bishop, the knight works best in crowded areas where it can exert its strength while being in a relatively sheltered square. Beware the knight near a cluster, for it can capture multiple pieces without being in danger itself._

_Next, the rook; there are two rooks for each side, both on the corner of the board. Rooks can move any square horizontally or vertically and captures the same way, but the rook cannot move diagonally. A defensive piece, this piece works best with the other rook, which goes the same for the bishop. If done right, the rook can easily get the king out of possible danger and bring itself in a place where it can exert its power more effectively. Beware the rook in the endgame, for like the bishop, the rook can control a large amount of squares in the endgame without their allies getting in the way. _

_Following the rook is the queen; there is only one queen for each side, with the queen residing on the square of its respective color. The most powerful piece in the game, the queen can move any number of squares horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, thus combining the moves of the rook and the bishop. However, unlike the rook and the bishop, the queen is not hampered by clusters, nor is she hampered by the bishop's inability to control squares not her color. Her wide range allows her to be a threat when the board is open, when the enemy king is not well-defended, or when there are undefended pieces in the enemy camp. On the other hand, her great strength makes her of great value, so it is best to be mindful and play her wisely instead of blindly charging in for an attack. _Never_ trade a queen for any other piece _but_ the other's queen; only do so if it gains you an advantage. Beware the queen, for beneath her beautiful silk lies sharpened steel._

_And finally, the king; the most important and valuable piece, the game ends when the king is captured, no exceptions. The king starts out residing next to the queen near the center of that side's first rank, although if done right, you can bring the king into a much safer position early in the game. For the opening and middle game, the king needs to be protected by his subjects. Whenever the king is in danger by another piece- a move known as "check"- you _must _get him out of danger; no other piece can be moved while a king is in check, unless the piece can be moved to defend the king. If you are in a state where the king is in "check" but you cannot make a move that brings him out of danger, then it is known as a "checkmate", which ends the game. You can _never_ move a king so that he is in direct danger of another piece, meaning that you cannot capture a king with another king. Beware the king, for although he can only move and capture one square in any direction, his power grows as the game begins to end._

_Now that you know how to play, do you fancy a game? _

_After all, you don't have much to lose._

* * *

A young man strode through the marble halls of the Eburnean castle, his head bent down and his steps quick and fast. The strong sunlight shone harshly through the spaces in between the columns of marble to his left, bathing the young King in sunlight. Magnificent oak doors stood proudly to his right, with a vase of flowers in between the doors, but he didn't bother to go into any one of them; he knew exactly where to go.

_This is bad; this is bad; this is terrible… Where is he when you need him?_ The man's mind raced as he walked through the carpeted halls, his high-collared, fur-lined carrot orange cape flowing behind him, the golden epaulettes on his shoulders glinting in the sunlight. The cape was tied below his neck and over his clavicles with a ruffled, white cravat lined with red that sported a sword-shaped, ruby red clasp. Under the cape, the man wore a crimson, double-breasted jacket lined with yellow with a simple white sash strung across his chest. The coat's ends extended to his knees, with what looked like sword point designs cut out from the ends. Orange cuffs hugged his wrists, his pristine white gloves appearing and disappearing as he swung his arms. A small, red and yellow heraldic crown adorned with a golden cross on top lay precariously on the left side of the small, gravity-defying curl on his short, dusty blonde hair. Sky blue eyes burned with a determined fire, the man's glasses gleaming in the sunlight.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice a door swing open and another man coming out. The man collided with him, both stepping back with the force.

"_Mon cher*_, you really need to watch where you're going," the young man looked up to see a man with wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair tied in a ponytail, a slight amount of facial hair evident on his chin. He wore an extensive, flowing white robe with red lining that ended near his knees, showing a brick red robe with white lining underneath. Under his white robe was a long-sleeved red shirt with an orange center. A white, detachable high-collar was over his shirt, with two red-lined, white cloths attached to the front and back of the collar, both being tucked into the white cloth belt tied around his waist. Long, overflowing, detachable orange sleeves with white lining emerged from the back of his shirt, as if it was attached to his waist. He held a tall, golden staff with his white, orange-lined, fingerless gloves, the point of the staff having a design that looked as if a fish was going to eat the red orb levitating at its point. "You could have hurt someone," His voice was smooth, his blue eyes brimming in amusement.

"Not now Bonnefoy, I'm in a hurry," the young man's voice was obviously dismissive and spiked with irritation. "Hey…" he narrowed his eyes at him. "Aren't you supposed to be in the throne room right now? The servants told me that everyone but me was there already."

"I got a little…side-tracked," the other man grinned back at him while fingering his collar.

"I don't even want to know what you did," the young man said as he curled his lip in distaste. "And to think that you're our Bishop…What kind of madness is this?"

The other wagged a finger. "You are spending too much time with the Knight, little King; you're starting to sound like him. And how many times have I told you to call me Francis? Although…" his grin widened. "Big Brother would work too~"

"You sicken me," the young man brushed past Francis, his hurried gait returning. "And hurry up; if I get to the throne room before you, you're sleeping with the dogs."

"You can't possibly be that cruel," Francis whined, following the other man. "At least let me bring a friend or two~"

"I pity whichever friend you choose to bring."

"Your words hurt me, my King," Francis's voice was teasing. "That reminds me…" his voice changed abruptly. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? It has barely been a decade since Coracinus and Eburneus have stopped fighting; why should we start it again?"

"I don't have a choice, Francis," the other quickened his pace. "I can't back down from this; Coracinus challenged us and if I turn them down, I'll be forever deemed a weak king. I can't have that!"

"There are better ways to handle this-" Francis was cut short.

"There isn't! You said so yourself that all attempts at making peace with the Coracines are failing and that war with them is inevitable," a slight tremor was found in the King's voice, one that did not go unnoticed by Francis.

Francis sighed. He had been through this a thousand times, and the King never changed his answer. "I suppose you are right- I can't argue with something I said myself."

"Now that that's covered," the two reached the end of the hall. Two, golden decorate doors stood in front of them, towering over them both. "We should go inside," the doors opened effortlessly at the King's strength, revealing a large room held up by marble columns. Red and white banners were draped around the room, shining as the light from the massive chandelier hanging on the ceiling shone on them. A red carpet led to the two thrones at the front of the room, one large, one small. The larger one was simple; it was of sturdy build and wasn't particularly tall, with the puffy red cushion adding height to the low seat. The young man closed the door behind him and looked ahead. Normally, the young King didn't mind coming into the throne room…This wasn't one of those times.

"Alfred F. Jones! Where have you been?" A distressed voice called from a small, golden throne at the front of the room - the Queen's throne. Sitting on it was the Queen, looking immensely upset. Long, dark brown hair was tied into a top knot held with three golden pins, red lips pursed and amber eyes crinkled. The Queen's long, multi-layered, flowing white robe with red lining cascaded to the floor, covering the Queen's shoes. An orange, corset-like material hugged the Queen's slim figure, with yellow rope tied around it to keep it in place. Under the corset-like material was the second layer of the robe, which was lined with red instead of the orange of the first layer, the second layer forming into a vest-like cape from the waist down. Around the Queen's arms was an orange silk scarf, the material being as long as the robe itself. A golden, phoenix headdress lay on the Queen's hair, joining the red and orange bejeweled circlet already sitting on the Queen's head.

As usual, the Queen looked stunningly regal, even more so than the King. The Queen was a thing of envy in the palace; many women wished to be like the Queen, and many men have voiced that they would gladly marry the Queen, although Alfred himself never showed any interest in the Queen (luckily, the title of King and Queen were just roles, meaning that they didn't need to be married). However, there was one thing about the Queen that many overlooked (or even in some cases, forgot).

The "Queen" is a guy.

"I wasn't the only one late, _Wang Yao_," Alfred stated calmly, using the Queen's full name as he had done with his. He walked up the red carpet until he was in front of the thrones. "If you haven't noticed, the royal pervert was late as well," he jerked his head behind him.

"You really do spend too much time with Kirkland…" Francis grumbled as he came up next to him; Alfred pointedly ignored his comment.

"You still haven't answered my question," Yao replied hotly, snapping the golden fan in his hand open. "_Where have you been?_"

"I think I can answer that question, my Queen," a tall man stepped out of the shadows near the Queen, surprising Alfred into silence. The man had a prominent nose on his child-like face, with light beige-blonde hair framing his face and coldly amused violet eyes. The man wore a mix of a short jacket and a long coat- snow white lined with crimson, the back of the coat reached his feet, the ends of which had what looked like pins cut out from it. Under it, he wore a red shirt with white and orange lining, the mid-length sleeves flaring out from under his coat sleeves. An orange, half-skirt like clothing hugged his waists, the material being held together by three red belts. Pure white pants were tucked into knee-high red boots with yellow lining. A tall, rectangular white fur lined with red cap sat atop his head, with a long, yellow and red ribbon tied around it. His most distinguishing feature was the white-lined, orange scarf around his neck, which he wore despite the heated weather Eburneus normally faced. "He has been spending the day looking around the castle for his little Knight," the man's voice was strangely high-pitched, almost like a child's.

"And how did you know that, Ivan Braginski?" Alfred challenged, a bit unnerved that he had known what he was doing. The other smiled pleasantly at Alfred, a deadly aura emitting from him.

"I think it is wiser that I do not tell you, my King," he continued to smile, his gloved hands running over the faucet pipe he carried. "You do not need to question _me_ now… do you?"

Alfred suppressed a shiver as he glared at him. He truly pitied the fool that crossed paths with the Eburnean Rook. "I suppose you're right…Do you happen to know where Arthur is then, if you know so much?"

"We sent him a long time ago to look for _you_," Yao responded, his voice exasperated. "You were taking so long, and the servants didn't come back after we told them to inform you about the meeting, so we sent Kirkland to look for you."

"I told the servants to return back to work after they told me," Alfred mused, remembering how he had been looking for Arthur in the gardens when a servant came up to him with the message. "So I was looking for Arthur while he was looking for me? No wonder I didn't find him…"

"What do you need to tell him anyways?" Francis asked, interrupting Alfred's train of thought. "I'm sure that whatever you have to say, you can say to us."

"I need to talk to him about the upcoming war with Coracinus. A letter came today that said that the first battle would be near the Caelestis Mountains, and I need to talk to Arthur about it."

"Near the Caelestis Mountains?" Yao looked alarmed. "Why would they start a battle there? It's sacred ground; any further, and who knows what will happen to the person that crosses into its territory."

"Exactly what I need to talk to Arthur about; I need to draw a battle plan with him so that we're nowhere near the Caelestis Mountains." There were rumors that whoever went near the cloud-hidden mountains would go insane, made true when a man was lost in there and emerged with his mind lost. Alfred was not willing to take any chances; he cared too much for his people to endanger them.

"But what if-" Yao was cut short by the opening of the doors.

"I couldn't find him, your Majest- ALFRED, WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?" Alfred held back a grin as he turned to face the only man he knew that could switch from formalities into profanities in a split second.

Standing at the doorway was a slim man wearing a high-collared, silver suit of armor with a sleeveless, gold-lined breastplate, with a golden hilted broadsword sheathed at his left side. Under his suit of armor, the man wore a red shirt with orange and white lining under his suit of armor. Slender silver and gold-lined gauntlets enclosed his forearms, the mid-lengths sleeves of his shirt taking up the rest. A majestic, two-fold red cape lined with white and orange hung from his shoulders, draping itself in such a way that it almost looked like folded wings. He wore a silver helmet with gold lining, antler-like ears protruding from the sides and a long, phoenix red plume attached to the back of the helmet, with two orange feathers hanging down on the helmet's left side. Under his helmet was his messy, short blonde hair, which framed his emerald green eyes and almost covered his unbelievably thick eyebrows.

"Hey Artie, you've made it to the meeting," Alfred grinned. "You're a tad bit late though; did you get lost?"

"Git, I was late because I was looking for you," the Eburnean Knight protested as he walked up to his side. "Where were you? I didn't find you at all, and I looked everywhere. And how many times have I told you to call me Arthur? You've been spending too much time with Bonnefoy; too much for your own good…"

"I was looking for you," Alfred spoke before Francis could, his grin widening. Those two fighting were the last thing he needed, but it still didn't stop him from being amused. "By the way, I need to have a talk with you abou-" A small cough interrupted him, and Alfred turned back to see the Queen glaring sternly at him.

"Jones, we came here for a meeting," Yao's voice was tart. "And we already spent most of that time looking for you, so you might as well listen to what we have to say."

"Fine," Alfred sighed and sat down on the throne, a bored expression on his face. "Make this quick; I have a war I need to prepare for."

"That's exactly what we need to talk about. Don't you think it's odd that Coracinus decided to challenge us when we had just fought with them?" The Queen's voice was grave. "This whole thing could be a trap."

"Trap or not, I still can't decline it," Alfred frowned as he took his crown off. "It's an unspoken rule that the King cannot decline his first challenge, and I intend to continue the tradition."

"You're a fool then," Yao snapped his fan shut. "Just because you want to fight doesn't mean we want to; I have no intention fighting in a war we could have easily avoided."

"Who said I wanted to fight? All I'm saying is that I have no choice but accept Coracinus's challenge; besides, it's the Coracine King's first war as well, so we actually stand a chance."

"That may be… but I have seen the Coracine Royals; they are deadly, especially that Rook of theirs," Francis cringed slightly as if he was remembering something. "I should know; I've met them."

"I'm sure that whoever the Coracine Rook is, I am much better," Ivan beamed, his deadly aura heightening. "After all, we are strong too."

"See? Your Rook agrees with me; you might as well," Alfred leaned back on his throne, placing his crown back on his head. Alfred knew he had won; nobody dared to cross Ivan…except maybe his sister, who even Ivan _himself_ was terrified of. Yao sighed.

"I'm getting too old for this…Fine! Do what you want, you brat," Yao leaned back on his throne. "Go fight this pointless war for all I care; just win it, or I'll skin you alive for making me lose the first time in 4000 years."

Alfred smirked. "Any other objections to this war? None? Good," Alfred plowed on before anyone could talk. He turned to Arthur. "Now about that battle plan…"

* * *

A young man paced around the black carpet in front of the thrones, his head down and his steps light and quick. The blue emitting from the chandelier on the ceiling captured his face in an eerie light. He was standing in a black marble room, with electric blue banners lined with black hung around the room. His long, high-collared, raven black cape with electric blue lining and cross cut designs at the end flowed out as he paced around the room, showing the electric blue insides of the cape. Under the cape, he wore a long-sleeved, cobalt blue jacket with royal blue epaulettes over a shirt of a similar color. Mid-length raven black cuffs with blue lining hugged his gloved wrists, the gloves the same black as the rest. Under his blue heraldic crown, the lengthy gravity-defying curl on the left side of his short brown hair bounced as he paced.

"What's wrong?" The man stopped pacing to turn to the woman sitting on the ebony black throne on the left- the Queen's throne. The Queen's throne was shorter than the King's throne; it was long and slender compared to the stocky build of the King's throne. The Queen sat on the puffy, electric blue pillow on her throne, with one leg over the other. "Are you worrying about the war with Eburneus?" Her voice was filled with worry, making the young King hesitate. He carefully turned to the Queen, hoping that his brown eyes wouldn't give things away (which wasn't hard, since he mostly kept his eyes closed- how he could see was a whole different thing entirely).

The Queen was wearing a tri-jeweled, blue necklace over her elegant, sleeveless mid-length dress, with the raven black torso opening in the middle to form an arrow-point design. Her half-skirt was cerulean blue lined with white and black, with a big, dark blue ribbon lined with white tied around her waist. Long, lacy black gloves with an electric blue design on the back held the arms of the throne delicately. Her open, high-heeled, laced black boots tapped the floor, with the blue flowers attached to it bouncing with the movement. A tall, light blue tiara that looked like stained glass adorned her head, with a ruffled, blue veil with black lining behind it. Attached to the left side of her long, light brown hair was a blue flower that was big enough to almost cover one of her worried, light green eyes.

As always, the Queen was stunningly beautiful, something that was a thing of envy between the palace women, yet the Coracine King never had an interest in her, only seeing her for the caretaker he knew her as. On the other hand, there were multiple hopeless suitors who wanted the Queen's hand in marriage, either for the throne or for her beauty. However, there was one thing about the Queen that most suitors overlooked (or in some cases, forgot).

The "Queen" used to think that she was a guy, spending most of her childhood with the rest of the boys in the Coracine Kingdom; she most certainly did not spend that time sewing or doing housework, something the suitors learned the hard way.

"Ve~ how did you know, Miss Hedervary?" The young King smiled, hoping she would fall for it. "It's like you're a psychic!"

"Maybe I am, Mister Vargas," her eyes twinkled as she returned his smile. "Feli, how many times have I told you to stop calling me 'Miss Hedervary'?" You're my equal now; you can call me Elizabeta, you know."

"I'm sorry Elizabeta; it's a force of habit. You _did_ take care of me when I was young; it's only proper that I treat you with respect," his smile faltered for a second, which was long enough for Elizabeta.

"Feliciano," Elizabeth didn't use his nickname, something she only did when she was either really serious or seriously worried. "What's wrong? You can tell me anything."

"It's just…It's just the war!" Feliciano waved his hands up and down, the short blue scepter with the cross at the top following suit. "What was I thinking, challenging Eburneus? This is my first war, and I'm not good at fighting, and…" he bit his lip. "I'm worried I'll be a burden to everyone."

"Oh Feli," Elizabeta came off her throne and hugged him tightly, reminding Feliciano of her strength. "You'll do fine! After all, you have us, don't you? We'll beat those Eburnean losers, just you see!"

"Thanks Elizabeta," Feliciano relaxed on her arms. "You always know the right thing to say."

"Of course I do," Elizabeta pulled back and grabbed his shoulders. "That's what makes me a good big sister! You don't need to worry about this war Feliciano," her tone was gentle. "Really, what could you have done? You needed to challenge someone before the kingdom got restless, and Eburneus was- no, _is- _the best choice. As for being a burden, you're not one at all! We'll follow you to the ends of the earth, burden or not, and we'll make sure you're safe the whole way, so you don't need to worry."

"Thank you," Feliciano pulled her arms away from him. "Can you call in the others? I want to have a meeting; I need to be prepared for my first battle."

"Sure thing Feli," Elizabeta walked past him to the double, black doors at the end of the room. She looked back at him. "We'll beat them, you'll see." And with that, she left.

Feliciano looked around, his heart as empty as the throne room. _I hope I made the right choice._ He thought, opening his left hand to reveal a pale blue fire tinged with blood red. _I _really_ hope I made the right choice._

* * *

**How'd you like it? Honestly, China as the Queen of the Allies actually makes sense to me XD (No offence though). I seriously _love_ how she designed the Allies; they look really splendid, especially Arthur and Alfred! Oh, and Ivan too...And Francis….And Yao….I think you get my point XD**

Mon cher (French) - My dear


	2. Black: Coracinus

_I'm sorry for the slow update! I'll upload faster now that summer is here (or getting closer, your call). On a smaller note, some of Chapter 1 is edited since I got the moves for the Knight wrong and there were some spelling mistakes (perfectionist, sorry). Hope you enjoy! _

_**EDIT: **For those concerned, a certain name is used in vain, so please forgive me for its usage.  
_

_**Disclaimer:** The costumes and the Chess positions and Hetalia do not belong to me (I don't have that much creativity)_

* * *

Two men were inside a small square room surrounded by book shelves, one man leaning over an oak table, the other seated in front of him. The man standing was pointing on a piece of paper on the table and was lecturing the other while the other man had a somewhat distracted expression on his face and seemed to be listening half-heartedly. Meanwhile, the sun shone with a soft light through the arched windows, showing a scene fit enough to be a painting: the sky was slowly turning darker as the day wore on, with puffy clouds strewn over the sky, their black bellies facing to the surface below. The tall, white marble spires of the small kingdom's outer walls reached to the heavens, as if it was trying to grasp the sky. The loud, bustling noise of the afternoon was gone, to be replaced with a much more soothing murmur as more and more people prepared to return home. Such a time was so peaceful, so relaxing…and yet…

"Remember to go for the center; the center gives you a wider range to attack…"

"Arthur~"

"…Try not to bring any of your men to the side of the battlefield, since it limits some Royals' mobility; take me for an example…"

"Arthur~"

"…Develop everyone well, and try to get them in a favorable position early on; trust me, it helps. And then…"

"Artie~"

"Good God Alfred, will you just shut it and listen to me? I'm trying to help you win a war here! And haven't I told you not to call me Artie? !"

Alfred looked up to see Arthur, the crown on the side of his head even more lop-sided. The latter's eyebrows were knitted together in an almost comical sense, although he was clearly irritated. Alfred sighed like he was a man whose concentration was broken by a small child he had no patience to chastise and then lifted his head up from his folded arms.

"But I've been calling you Artie ever since we were children; I can't change that fast…" Alfred pouted and looked at Arthur, who had immediately looked away.

"Don't do that! You know you always win when you do that…" Arthur's ears were red, something that always happened whenever he was embarrassed. Alfred always wondered if the rest of his body went red whenever he got embarrassed, but Arthur would never answer when he asked… Not that he wanted to know so badly in the first place. "Brat…Just do what you want! And don't you have something to say to me? If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to give you advice here, something I can't do with your incessant chatter ringing in my ears."

"If anyone should be complaining about 'incessant chatter', it should be me," Alfred turned serious as Arthur turned back to face him, if not faintly irritated as well. "You've been going on for hours, and all you've been saying are things even the dimmest of Pawns know," Alfred looked at him with a slightly withering look. "Arthur, this may be my first battle, but I think I'm competent enough to be able to handle it without your advice."

"I have no doubt in my mind that you are prepared for this Alfred, but even the most competent of Kings make mistakes," Arthur rebuked sternly. "Look, you're the one who wanted my advice on the first place, so I'm giving it to you."

"I never asked for your 'advice', I asked for your help," Arthur quirked an eyebrow. "I only needed your help to form a battle plan, a strategy even," Alfred used the same sharp tone as Arthur, causing the other to recoil slightly. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"I'm only trying to help you Alfred," Arthur snarled.

"And I'm telling you that I don't need it," Alfred replied coolly. "So back off Artie."

They stared at each other in what seemed like unending silence, neither of which backing down in the fight that had emerged between them. Finally, Arthur sighed and walked to the window nearest to them. He leaned on the framing, his arms crossed and his face turned away from Alfred. "Do you remember the day you were promoted?" He blurted, still not looking at Alfred.

"Like I can forget," Alfred leaned back on his chair, his hands behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling, all previous menace having disappeared between them. "_My_ memory is still sharp, unlike some people."

"What's that supposed to mean?" It was a weak retort, followed by a chuckle. Another silence followed afterwards, giving enough time for Alfred to wonder why Arthur had brought it up. This wasn't the first time Arthur ever brought the topic up, but it seemed rather odd and out-of-place that he mentioned it now. "It was last year, wasn't it?"

"You're getting old, Artie, if you can't remember even that," Alfred returned his chuckle, trying to hide his curiosity. "Yeah, it was last year; you should remember that much, since you were promoted the same year. Speaking of promoting…" Alfred looked at Arthur, a question in his normally forward blue eyes. "I still can't believe that the previous King chose to promote me to become the new King…I was so sure that they'd pick you."

"Who, me?" Arthur's voice was filled with amusement. "Imagine that, King Arthur…" He laughed, a sound that came out like bells ringing. "I have a feeling that a kingdom ruled by me would only fall into ruin."

"Don't say that; _I _think that you'd make a brilliant king…Not as good as me, but pretty close," Alfred leaned forward to return the chair to its normal position, with his hands gripping the front. "What makes you think you won't be a good king?" he added. "You're smart, diligent, a good fighter-"

"-Proud, stubborn, and there are one too many times when I have let my heart rule my head," Arthur shook his head. "I work much better as a Knight, where my only job is to protect the King using all methods I see fit; after all, aren't those the reasons why you chose me to be your Knight?" he removed his helmet and set it on the windowsill, his bright blonde hair glistening in the sunlight. "Trust me on this, Alfred; you'd make a much better King than me."

Alfred didn't say anything for a while, just twiddled with the stray piece of hair that he could never keep down. Finally, he spoke. "In all honesty, I don't think so. For one thing, who in their right mind would promote an 18 year old Pawn into a King? That's madness! At least you have oodles of experience, having lived through it all on your old age…"

"What are you chattering on about now? I'm only 4 more years older than you!" Arthur smirked, the smile tugging on the corner of his face Alfred could see; however, Alfred didn't return it.

"Doesn't matter, you're _still_ more experienced than me; the only reason you're not the King right now is because the previous King chose me for whatever lunatic reasons he had," Alfred insisted. "I think the previous King must have gotten crazy or something after the war with Coracinus, promoting a green Pawn into a King…" he trailed off, his voice getting quieter. He looked away from Arthur, his eyes suddenly developing an interest on the floor.

"Alfred-" Arthur started as he turned to look at him, but Alfred cut him off.

"Don't deny it Arthur, the King must be nuts to have promoted me; I haven't even been a Pawn for a decade! I've barely fought fifty battles, let alone be able lead one myself!" The young King looked back up at him sighed, a desolate sound akin to that of a funeral march. He laughed immediately after that, all traces of sadness lost. "Why are we even talking about this in the first place? I thought we were here to form a battle plan, not to rant on about the past."

"You're the one that got me off track," Arthur scoffed, turning back to the window. Alfred had a feeling he wanted to say something on Alfred's cripplingly low self-esteem as a King, but he seemed to have decided against it. "Now where was I…? Oh yes, now I remember."

Arthur let out a small chuckle, his hand curling into a fist to cover his mouth. "I'm not going to lie that it might have been better for you have to been promoted when you had more experience, but there's a reason the previous King chose you. He knew you were prepared for this and that he didn't have long, so it was only natural that he chose you," Arthur's voice softened as he turned to him, emerald eyes kind. "Look, the reason I brought up your promotion was because of what I said on that day."

"What you said? Do you mean 'Where the hell is your suit? I bought you a suit just a few days ago… You can't be promoted wearing that trash!'?" Alfred could barely remember that day; the only thing he remembered was having the crushing realization that he was expected to lead a kingdom at the tender age of 18. Everything else just sort of paled in comparison.

"No! Although I was right; you'd embarrass me, wearing such trash in such an important day," Arthur harrumphed, his voice clearly conveying his annoyance. "Honestly, I raised you better than that, and your poor presentation would reflect badly on me as well as you…But that's not the one that I meant!"

"Hmm…" Alfred tilted his head, trying to recall that day. It was like trying to grasp a straw covered in honey; something you'd pick up, but immediately put away afterwards. "Was it 'Hey, Alfred have you seen my twee-'?"

"No!" Arthur turned ashen. "How do you remember all these pointless…? Anyways, what I meant is what I told you after you became King; can you at least remember that much?" Although his voice was patient, there was an undertone of poorly hidden exasperation.

"What you said after I beca-?" Alfred's eyes lit up as he finally remembered. "You mean when you told me that you would do all you can to help me?" Arthur nodded in reply. "I remember that now! You were so serious at that time, it was almost funny…" In truth, Alfred was touched beyond belief, but he wasn't going to tell Arthur that. For one thing, it was a bit awkward to say those kinds of things to a guy, let alone his former caretaker, and for another, those sorts of sappy feelings wouldn't help in a situation like the one he was in now. What good were feelings in a war? All feelings did for a person was get in the way of their rational thinking, so it was best to just put it aside. Besides, how would Arthur react if he had told him that? Alfred didn't want to risk anything that could ruin their friendship, so it was best to leave things unchanged.

"Only you would have seen that as a comical situation," Arthur scowled for a moment and then sobered. "Alfred, I meant every word I said that day. If you ever find yourself in trouble, you can always count on me to help…although how much help I'd be depends on the situation itself," he let out a dry laugh. "Consequently, if you ever need advice, you could always ask me, as you have done now," Arthur stood up straight and looked directly at Alfred, his form outlined with the orange of the sunset. "Bottom line is, all I'm doing is helping you the best I can, whether you want it or not."

Alfred blinked, genuinely not knowing how to react. He preferred not to go too deep into things since it was easier to keep things at a simpler level, but here Arthur was trying to spring a rather emotional talk on him, something that was definitely not in Alfred's comfort zone. Like all deep talks he had with Arthur, he was never sure how to react (Who did?) so he did the only thing he could think of at the moment; he laughed.

"You should look at your face Arthur, all serious like that," he teased, each word sounding bitter and false in his tongue. "Really, I'm at a loss; how'd you turn a battle strategy into a 'talk'? Honestly, you'd be the first one I'd expect to stick to the task at hand."

"Why you-" Arthur glared at him like he was dead meat, and then started taking deep breaths. "You're right, Alfred, we should stick to the current task at hand," he said after a while, sounding a bit forced. "I'm sorry for wasting your time," he walked back to the table, refusing to meet his eyes.

"You know that you can never waste my time," Alfred answered truthfully, leaning over the piece of paper on the table as well. "Except maybe when you nag me; that's _always_ a waste of time."

"Git," Arthur sighed, but Alfred could see the small grin tugging on his lips. "Now where was I? Oh yes, about the defense…"

As Arthur droned on about tactics, Alfred found himself not even thinking about the upcoming war, something that's been on his mind 24/7 ever since the challenge from the Coracine King came. _Stupid, you shouldn't have said that,_ he thought to himself reproachfully. _You should've said something nicer, something like…_

"Thanks Arthur," he blurted out before he could stop himself. "That means a lot to me."

Arthur paused and looked up. "What did you say?" He asked, his eyes curious and…was that _hope_ in it? Alfred couldn't tell; the only thing on his mind was how he really _hoped_ Arthur hadn't heard him just now.

"Me?" Alfred feigned innocence, mentally cursing himself for thinking out loud. "I didn't say anything."

"But I was sure you…" Arthur shook his head, all emotion in his eyes erased. "As I was saying, you have to…"

_Now you've done it,_ Alfred folded his arms on the table and lay his head on them, half-listening to Arthur. _Now you were _this _close to embarrassing yourself…Not that I would have minded as much._ Alfred shook his head, which Arthur thankfully did not notice (or refused to acknowledge). _Thinking stuff like this is too tiring…It's better to just forget about today and just focus on the upcoming battle. Anything else is much too confusing…Although…_

Alfred looked up, watching Arthur get lost in his own world of military strategies and tactics. He watched his green eyes flick over the paper, neither of them staying in one place for long, his hands following suit to point at the next place he would look. He heard his voice steadily rise as each tactic brought him deeper in the world he was trying to teach Alfred. It was exactly what Alfred should be; focused and dedicated on what was to come, but he could honestly care less at the moment. _I'll thank you someday, Arthur, without covering it up._ Alfred thought to himself. _After all…_ He glanced again at Arthur, who was still going on and on about the things Alfred needed to take note of.

_That's the _right_ thing to do for someone who's willing to help you, isn't it?_

* * *

"Let the meeting commence."

Elizabeta heard Feliciano's voice on her right, all trace of previous nervousness gone, having been replaced by a serenity that could rival a monk's. She was proud of him; she knew from a while ago that Feliciano was scared of the war, but he didn't show it at all now. She also knew that if given the chance, Feliciano wouldn't have made war on Eburneus on the first place, but their people were getting impatient at their lack of battles, especially since Eburneus had beaten them not too long ago. They would have been in danger of a civil war if Feliciano hadn't challenged Eburneus when he did. Feliciano had done the right thing, despite being terrified of the consequence, and now he was handling it like a pro; it was a bit of an understatement to say that she was just "proud".

Elizabeta forced herself to focus; now was not the time to be proud of Feliciano. Now was the time to focus on what was to come and what to do about it. She glanced at the other Royals, placing back on her queenly mask even though she was surrounded by friends.

In front of her stood her beloved Knight, the one she would go to first if she had to entrust her life to anyone else. The Knight was an aristocratic man with somewhat wavy brown hair and a wild strand protruding from his hair. Behind his silver glasses lay violet eyes so dignified and elegant that it seemed like he was the King instead of a Knight. He wore a raven black suit of armor lined with electric blue and a cerulean coat also lined with the same blue as the lining on his armor; over the coat were his long, black and blue gauntlets. Tied to his shoulders were a mid-length, azure blue cape lined with black and a trident cut out design at the end compromising of three tridents, the middle one almost splitting up the cape. A white, animalesque helmet lined with dark blue with a short, azure plume coming off of it sat atop his head, the mask-like helmet currently pulled above his head to show his face. He carried a rapier with a note-shaped, cerulean blue hilt at his side, the sword currently inside his sheath. Roderich Edelstein regarded her stare with one of his own, his being more of acknowledgement than anything else. Elizabeta quickly looked away, looking at the man next to him.

Beside Roderich was the Bishop, a short, slim man with black hair and dull, dark brown eyes. The Bishop wore a long, cerulean and sapphire gradient robe lined with black and white, also wearing white socks with his matching blue sandals; over the robe was a medium-length, black sleeveless vest lined with electric blue, with a blue layer under it and a white layer with blue lining under that. He wore long, detached, raven black sleeves with electric blue lining and a sapphire rope was hung around his arms. A black and blue headdress adorned his head, the headdress somewhat cone-shaped with two prongs coming off its sides. He carried a tall, blue staff decorated with diamond shaped paper rope attached to it, but also carried around strips of paper with unknown writing on it. Elizabeta couldn't tell if Honda Kiku noticed her look at him at all; his expression was like a mirror, watching all yet revealing none about itself. It was always hard to tell what was on his mind, but ever since he had gotten closer to Feliciano, he seemed to express himself more. That was a refreshing thought, especially since it made him less intimidating. Speaking of intimidating…

Elizabeta glanced at the man in front of Feliciano. The Coracine Rook was a tall, muscular man with his blonde hair slicked back. He had serious, light blue eyes with the lower part of his face bandaged, yet he managed to talk all the same (it was almost like explaining how Feliciano could see when he usually kept his eyes closed). He wore a high-collared, black and cerulean gradient cape-coat with black lining that has three electric blue straps on the back. He was shirtless, exposing his electric blue tattoos around his muscular chest, also wearing cerulean arm warmers. Additionally, he wore ripped, navy blue shorts, a chunky black belt, and a pair of extremely long black boots that were lined with blue. To top it off, chains hung everywhere around him, also hanging from his currently sheathed claymore, its blue hilt showing from the slightly darker blue sheath. It always surprised Elizabeta when she thought of how far Ludwig came; he was always a sick little child when they were young. Now, he was the Coracine Rook and Feliciano's most trusted Royal, trusting him more than he did her. His accomplishments always impressed her, making her wonder just what went wrong with his brother, who was a Royal in another kingdom. Unlike Ludwig, his brother was his exact opposite; loud, egotistical, and not to mention, a full-on jerk. He had a lot to learn from Ludwig, who was always so dutiful and hard-working, exactly how a good Rook should be.

"Alright then," Elizabeta glanced sideways at Feliciano, and almost jumped at seeing how his eyes were wide open. _He means business…_ She thought as she saw the wonderful brown color of his normally closed eyes, now filled with steel instead of the compassion she normally saw whenever he tried opening his eyes (_very_ rarely, mind you; he could barely keep them open for 10 minutes on a whim). "As you all know, we are preparing to fight a war with Eburneus. Although they have triumphed over us in the past, they have just promoted new Royals, meaning that this is their first war, and thus, have no experience fighting one. They are bound to make some mistakes, and may even lose the war for making one," Feliciano paused, his expression and voice still the same steel that was reflected on his eyes. "However, we are also new, so we're bound to make mistakes as well- mistakes like the one the previous King made on the last battle with Eburneus, which cost us the war."

Feliciano took a deep breath. "The reason I have called all of you here today is to discuss the impending battle, which, as you all know, is taking place near the Caelestis Mountains. Since this is my first battle and because of how I prefer not to fight in the first place, I am horribly inexperienced; what I require right now are your advice, which will surely aid me," he closed his eyes and smiled, acting much more like his old self. "After all, five heads are better than one, isn't it?"

"That is true," Roderich's voice floated through the air like the music he so dearly loved. "It is always better to have others to help you; that way, there will always be someone who can cover for your mistakes."

"Thank you Roderich," Feliciano reopened his eyes, his smile still on his face. "So, does anyone have any ideas? I'd suggest making pasta, not war, but I don't think our neighbors like pasta…"

"You mentioned there were new Royals?" Ludwig was as straight-forward as always. Feliciano looked at him and nodded, a somewhat amused look on his face.

"Ve~ I did," Feliciano giggled. "Were you even paying attention, Luddy~?"

"Do you happen to know what they are like?" Ludwig went on, pointedly ignoring the use of Feliciano's favorite nickname for him. "It would help us greatly if we knew what we are up against."

Feliciano looked thoughtful, as if the thought never crossed his mind. "Unfortunately, no," he looked at them with saddened eyes. "Although I should have meet them when I had the chance…Sorry…"

"It's fine Feli," Elizabeta placed her hand over his for comfort. "You wouldn't have had much time to meet them in the first place since they were just promoted last year, so it's understandable you don't know anything about them."

"Thanks Elizabeta," He smiled at her. "I suppose you're right…Although I still feel sort of bad for not knowing anything about them…"

"If I may?" Kiku's quiet voice interrupted him. "Even though you have not met them, Your Majesty, I have."

"You have?" Feliciano instantly brightened. "What are they like then Kiku?"

"They are…" Kiku struggled for the right word. "Interesting."

"Interesting?" Ludwig turned to the shorter man. "How so?"

Kiku turned pensive, tilting his head slightly as if trying to remember something. "I didn't have enough time to study them too much, but from what I gather, they are a rather curious group; if I had to describe them, they would be like a quilt with strongly contrasting colors. As you know from his previous visit, the Bishop is highly affectionate and does not seem capable of much, but it's best not to underestimate him. From what I have learned from various resources, the unsuspecting ones are usually the threats. On the other hand, their Rook comes off as childlike, but there's something about him…" Kiku's expression flickered slightly, but remained the same for the most part. He turned to Ludwig. "I believe that he would make a worthy opponent."

Ludwig nodded his head in understanding, his expression revealing nothing on his thoughts. Kiku turned to Roderich next. "Their Knight is a confusing man. Although he was kind to me, he does not seem to get along with any of the other Eburnean Royals, except maybe with the King," For a minute, Elizabeta could have sworn that something crossed Roderich's face, but it was gone so fast that she could only think that it was a trick of the light. "Be careful of him, for there are rumors that he would've been King had the current Eburnean King had not been chosen."

Kiku turned to Feliciano, who was paying close attention to him. "As for their King, he is rather young, even younger than you, My King. He's a rather childish man, a bit boisterous too, and not to mention a bit too loud…" Kiku looked like he was going to say more, but decided against it. "Despite it all, I have seen him when he is serious, and it is like he is a different man entirely. You'd be making a grave mistake to underestimate him."

Feliciano thought for a while, his brown eyes showing slight interest, a look that was a bit alien on him. "I see. Alright then Kiku, I won't underestimate him if you say so." Kiku nodded slightly, a somewhat pleased look on his face.

"And what of their Queen? I haven't heard you mention their Queen at all." Everyone knew that the Queen was the deadliest Royal, so it would help if they knew what kind of threat they were facing against. That, and Elizabeta was greatly interested on who she would be pitted against.

"I didn't meet their Queen at all," Kiku's voice was flat and matter-of-factly, a sharp contrast from his earlier disposition. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, My Queen."

"It's alright Kiku, you've already told us this much," Elizabeta _was_ a bit disappointed, but it was proper not to show it. "After all, whoever their Queen is, I'm sure I can beat her any day," she grinned mischievously, thinking back on the days she thought she was a boy. What a surprise the Eburnean Queen would get when she'd meet her…

"Alright then!" Feliciano leaned back on his throne with a satisfied look on his face. "Although this isn't enough for us to accurately assume what kind of moves our opponents would make, it's a start. I'm going to need Kiku and Roderich to help me plan for the battle, since Roderich is our Knight and Kiku knows our opponents best. Is that alright with you two?" They both nodded. Feliciano stood up and smoothed over his cape. "That's good then."

He looked back at Elizabeta and at Ludwig. "Alright then, I'll need Ludwig to check over the Pawns and our defenses. Elizabeta, I'm going to need you check our weapons and to find anything that can tell us more about our opponents. Is that all right?" When he saw them nod, he smiled, closing his eyes at the same time. "Good, then the meeting is adjourned. Now, let's go!" Feliciano walked ahead of Roderich and Kiku, a slight spring to his step. When they reached the door, Feliciano looked back yet again. "I'll see you two later!" he called, closing the door and leaving Elizabeta with Ludwig.

"I think that went well, don't you?" Elizabeta commented lightly, getting off her throne and smoothing the back of her dress. "Feliciano handled that very well for someone who was scared before; I think you're finally rubbing off on him," she teased, wanting to see his reaction.

"I suppose…" Ludwig trailed off, sounding faintly distracted. Concerned, Elizabeta walked over to him and looked at his face, which was turned to the door.

"Are you alright Ludwig?" she asked. "It's not like you to be like this; by now, you would have said that you needed to leave to get started right away."

"I know," Ludwig shook his head, the distracted look fading away. He looked back at Elizabeta, his normal attentive look returning. "I'm sorry for concerning you, Miss Hedervary; there is truly nothing wrong with me."

"Alright then, I'll take your word for it," she wasn't convinced, but Ludwig wasn't one of those people you'd press. If there was something troubling him, he would have told someone, even if it wasn't her, so she didn't worry as much. "But if there's something troubling you, you could always tell me, okay?"

Ludwig nodded. "Thank you. Well then, as you have said, I should be taking my leave now," he took long strides toward the door, his posture straight and his demeanor faintly drill sergeant like- in short, he was back to normal. "Good day to you Miss Hedervary," he called out to her as he left. Elizabeta smiled slightly, but it disappeared fast enough.

_Feliciano opening his eyes and Ludwig being worried…_ She shook her head. _It's not like it's unusual for them to do those things from time to time, but I can't help but wonder…_ She sighed and started walking toward the door as well. _It's no use, worrying over something as small as this. Right now, I should be following Feli's orders instead of worrying over this. Besides, it's not like it's something I _should_ worry about, right? Those are only minor things; I should be focusing on the big picture, which is the war._ She shook her head again, suddenly feeling foolish for worrying over such trivial events. Elizabeta opened the large door effortlessly, taking one last look back at the empty throne room.

_So why am I still worried?_

* * *

_Before I go deep in this story, this may be a chess story, but not everything will go according to chess rules; it's basically a war story with a chess spin and my weird imagination in the mix, so don't expect too much chess in the story (consequently, I'll make some mistakes with the chess terms and such, so please correct me!). By the way, chess pieces in real life represent something in an actual kingdom, but I didn't really follow them when writing this. Take the Knight and the Bishop; the knight represents the cavalry and the bishop…well, the church. In the story, the Knight is sort of like the military commander and the Bishop handles the foreign relations as well as the church…I don't know, it makes sense to me._

_Another thing, whenever an Asian/Eastern character's full name comes up, I'll most likely place their names in Eastern order instead of Western (like Wang Yao from the last chapter and Honda Kiku from this one) however, I'll use their first names for things like "Kiku said '…'" and things like that. I suppose it should be consistent to just use Western order, but I'm too used to writing their names that way…_


	3. First Battle

_Pfft, my update speed has completely contradicted my last update's Author's Note XD Anyways, sorry for the slow update! I was pretty much uninspired for a while, but I am now from reading a manga called "Di[e]ce" and reading Kitty-KatAllie's new update of Hetalia Fairytales. Anyways, this is where the fantasy part kicks in, so I hope you enjoy!_

_PS: The places might be inaccurate in terms of geographic items and weather, so I will apologize in advance. Oh, and I made a poll out of sheer boredom; it's up on my profile if you're interested._

_PPS: Chapter 2 is edited slightly, although it's only a warning for those concerned with certain names used in vain (just realized I didn't warn about that in said chapter)_

_**Disclaimer:** For probably the last time since this is tiring, the chess clothes, concept, and idea are not mine, and so is Hetalia._

* * *

"You are an idiot, Alfred F. Jones."

The party of four (Ivan had gone out to check if the Coracines had arrived) stood under a tree, surrounded by a sea of verdant green, all sorts of plants growing in their wild beauty. The Caelestis Mountains stood far away, rigid and proud, but with the valley's vast size and how it was free of any obstacles, it seemed like it was just a pebble's throw away. Clouds rolled across the dark brown mountain tops, hiding whatever lay in it in perpetual white. The weather was cool yet sharp with the untainted air of the valley, the sun shining magnificently above them. This was the kind of place Alfred was comfortable with, and had it been in any other situation, he would've been running around all over the place, but…

"So what if I don't know how Royals fight battles?" Alfred crossed his arms and faced Yao, who stood with his fan delicately placed over his lips, his eyes fixed on Alfred with plain disdain. "It's not like I've had any practice before."

"I would expect you to have learned it by now," Yao snapped his fan shut then turned to Arthur, who was scanning the area for their opponents. "Kirkland, aren't you this boy's guardian?"

"Whatever you're implying Your Majesty," Arthur turned to the Queen, his voice carefully polite. "I am fully capable of being His Majesty's guardian, although I was never his guardian in the first place; only a mentor of sorts, more like a big brother than anything else," he faced Alfred, his eyes suddenly stern. "Although I must admit, I myself expected _His Majesty_," he said that part with a half-hiss, "To know how Royals fight battles by now."

"Back off Arthur, I barely knew how we were transported here in the first place," Pawns were summoned by a Royal and they were instantly transported to the battlefield, but Alfred never knew how the Royals themselves made it to the decided battlefield. He honestly thought they were going to walk the whole way, but when he learned that they were just going to go through a portal door and end up in the chosen place, he felt stupid for bringing a tent… At least the portal only felt like walking through wind… "And I thought you were on my side!"

"What made you think that? You're the one who came unprepared," Arthur frowned. "You may be young, but I don't need to tell you what to do all the time."

"Not cool Artie," Alfred felt the heat crawl up his neck; he hated to say it, but Arthur was right this time. "You should at least _pretend_ to be on my side; that's what friends do, right?"

Arthur rolled his eyes as Yao let out an exasperated sigh. "This is just brilliant, isn't it?" he didn't even try to hide his sarcasm. "And will you stop addressing each other in such informal terms? It's sickening."

"Your Majesty, it's good that our little King has somebody he is close to," Francis stood up from where he sat, and it wasn't until now did Alfred notice that he was being unusually quiet lately. "We wouldn't want to isolate him now, would we? Although..." he quickly glanced at Arthur. "His choice for a companion _is_ rather questionable."

Arthur glared at him. "Shut it Bonnefoy, before you wish that the Coracines got to you before I did."

"As amusing as this is," They all jumped at the sudden, unexpected voice of the Eburnean Rook. Ivan walked up to them, apparently done with his search for their enemies. "The Coracine portal has appeared; it's quite a walk away, but there's no questioning that they'll be here in no time. Are we ready to battle?"

"No," Yao scowled at Alfred. "Instead of wasting our time chiding our King, we should spend it reviewing the rules of battle… You're at least aware of how the Castle works, aren't you?"

"Of course," Alfred answered, his pride a bit hurt at how they were treating him like a child. Even though he _is _rather young for a King, Alfred certainly wasn't an idiot… and besides, there has been younger Kings before, and _they_ probably had known less than him. "The challenger's King summons up a Castle, and each of the Royals are placed randomly inside it. There, it is the Royals' task to look for their King so that they could protect him, since besting the enemy King is how you win."

"Good, although you forgot to mention that the interior of the Castle changes within each summoning and that its interior depends on the user's mind. Now then," Yao opened his fan again. "What do you know about the Pawn system?"

"I doubt you need to ask His Majesty that of all things," Arthur scoffed. "He _was_ a Pawn for my- the previous King before all this," he smoothly corrected his slip-up, and it seemed to have worked; at the very least, it looked like Alfred was the only one who noticed what Arthur was going to say. "I doubt he needs a review of _that_ of all things."

"I think what the Queen meant," Ivan sat down nearby, adjusting his scarf. "Was in terms of non-human Pawns, right my Queen?"

"Exactly," Yao sat down as well, gathering the folds of his dress dignifiedly. "Naturally, you know that during in battle, Royals can summon Pawns to aid them in battle. Pawns are summoned by a Royal simply by summoning them, who are then sent over to the summoner's side when they are called. Every Royal can summon up to 2 pawns, with the exception of the King, who instead has a special Power exclusive to him, although that Power varies from kingdom to kingdom."

"We should hurry up," Francis murmured. "They may be closing in on us any second now."

Yao nodded and cleared his throat. "Pawns can be human or non-human. Human Pawns must be prepared before battle and be given a teleporter, which is what brings them to the summoner's side. However, Pawns that aren't human must be handled a different way, seeing as how they are manifestations of a part of our soul," He looked at Arthur. "Would you like to elaborate on this, Kirkland? You know the most when it comes to things like this."

Arthur bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Of course Your Majesty. Well then," He turned to Alfred. "As our Queen had mentioned, when you summon a non-human Pawn, a manifestation of a part of our soul appears. Whatever our soul- or heart, if you prefer to think of it like that- is like, it shows on the Pawn; their appearance, attack, and personality all depend on what part of your soul they represent. For example, if you are soft-hearted but sharp, expect something fluffy to come out like a bunny or such to represent the 'soft-hearted' part, but it would have a wind elemental attack to represent the 'sharp' part of the personality."

Alfred snickered, which caused Arthur to glare at him for his sudden interruption. "I'd hate to get that kind of Pawn in battle; it doesn't seem manly _or _cool at all, and not to mention, it's a _bunny_. How many bunnies are capable of battle?" He chuckled at the thought of summoning a bunny in the battlefield. "Okay, _maybe_ the elemental wind would be helpful, but bunnies aren't tough, period."

"I'll have you know that bunnies are plenty tough! I wouldn't mind having a bunny as a Pawn!" Alfred raised one of his eyebrows in question. "Err, excuse my sudden exclamation… C-continuing on," For some reason, Arthur's ears were completely red. "Any non-human Pawns you summon are representations of your spirit and can be either another being or a weapon. You can summon a second non-human Pawn, although it is unadvisable, since these Pawns are ruled by your emotions and should you find yourself taunted by your opponent, you might make a mistake for getting your emotions get to the best of you. If you are willing to take that risk, then the second non-human Pawn you summon will represent another part of you. Also, any Pawn defeated in battle is gone from the battle permanently, so that means that if one of your Pawns was defeated- human or not- then that Pawn disappears, or in the case of human Pawns, get sent back. You cannot summon another Pawn if both Pawns are defeated in battle," he paused to take a breath. "Did you get all that, Alfred?"

"Yeah, I did," Alfred scratched at his head. "You didn't have to tell me all that though; Kings have Powers, so Pawn knowledge isn't exactly that useful… Before you say anything," he smiled as he saw Arthur on the brink of lecturing him on Pawns. "You'll probably say that I need to know it since it has something to do with the other Royals, so I'm okay with it. What I want to know is if-"

A sensation of being punched in the gut ran through Alfred's body, and black washed over his vision in waves, wiping him out.

''''''''

Arthur opened his eyes to find himself in a strange room. From the long clothed table and the silverware on it, he figured that he was in the dining hall of a castle. The walls and probably the whole castle itself were made with obsidian, the black rock like the night. Electric blue banners hung on the wall in all Coracine glory, alternating with torches that shone with an eerie blue flame. Golden chairs were lined beside the table, although he knew that they would never be in use; Castles were only used for battle, and anything else was purely aesthetic. (It didn't explain, however, why there was pasta in front of every chair when no one would eat it anyways, since battles rarely lasted longer than a few hours; maybe the Coracine King just really liked pasta?).

Arthur felt a jolt of pain go through him. He clutched his stomach. _I forgot that this sensation happens whenever a Castle is summoned... _The pain in his stomach was unbearable. _Where's Alfred? I hope he wasn't sent into a room by himself..._ _I best look for him; he still doesn't know enough about fighting as a Royal. _Arthur clutched his stomach for a few seconds before standing up. He started to walk forward, looking around for any signs of Alfred or of enemy Royals. _From what my father told me, Royals are usually sent into rooms within close distance of another Royal, although he never specified _how_ close…_

Arthur sighed and kept walking, going through the gilded double doors at the end of the room. Serene music was playing when he entered the other room, but he didn't know where it came from nor did he really care. He found himself in a grand hallway, a double staircase with golden arms standing in front of him. A chandelier hung in front of the staircase, the light it emitted the same ghostly blue as the torch lights in the dining room. Paintings and potted plants were scattered across the room, but he didn't pay much attention to them. There was a beautiful, ornate double door that served as the entrance to the castle near him, but Arthur didn't bother to go through it.

He didn't know much about Castles, but he knew enough from what he had been told. Castles trapped anyone within the vicinity inside of it, meaning that if a normal citizen happened to be around when a Castle was summoned, they would be trapped inside it as well. Luckily, all battles occurred in places where no human would reside, and only once in all the centuries worth of battle had a non-combatant been trapped inside a Castle, so it wasn't a particularly worrying subject. Once a Castle was summoned, a barrier of sorts protected the Castle so that no outsider may enter inside of it; the only other way to enter a Castle other than being in its vicinity was to use the teleporter given to human Pawns before battle; other than that, there was no other way for outside forces to enter.

Arthur walked to the middle of the room, looking around to see which doors he could go through; other than the entrance door and the door he had come through, there was the door across from him, the door in between the staircases, and whichever doors there were on the second floor.

_There's no way that the Castle is this small,_ He thought, looking at the rather small size of the entrance hall. _ One of the doors must lead to a hallway then, or there's a secret door somewhere that leads to the rest of the castle._ He looked around again, seeing his options. _I should try the door in between the staircases first; it seems the most likely to be the one with a hallway in i-_

"Discord."

A cacophony invaded Arthur's ears. The sound was indescribable; it was the highest of notes combined with the lowest, a screech combined with a wail, scratching combined with the sound of breaking. Even though his ears were covered by his helmet and thus muffled outside sounds slightly, the sound was playing loud and clear, as if it was playing right beside his ear; it was almost like it was playing from inside his head and not from the outside.

Suddenly, the dissonance stopped. Arthur looked up to see a man wearing a suit of armor as dark as the castle itself standing at the spot where the two staircases met on the second floor. In his hands was a violin, so Arthur guessed that he was the source of the music earlier and for the disharmony. Arthur didn't know how long he had been standing there, but it seemed that he had just noticed Arthur as well. The man placed down his violin, looking at Arthur with calm violet eyes.

"Good afternoon," he spoke with a clear, crisp voice of an aristocrat. "I am Roderich Edelstein," Roderich looked at him with cool interest. "And you are?"

"Kirkland," Arthur eyed him warily, his hand on his sword hilt. "Arthur Kirkland, the Knight of Eburneus. By your getup, I assume that you are the Knight of Coracinus?"

Roderich bowed. "Indeed I am," he stood back up. "I hope that this will be an interesting battle."

Arthur bowed in reply. "I hope so as well." He barely had time to get up before another "Discord" was sent at him. This time, however, Arthur was prepared for it and tried to keep his calm.

_So his Pawn takes the form of a violin._ Arthur thought as he saw that Roderich was holding his violin instead of unsheathing the sword at his side. _Well then two can play at that game; let's just hope that my Pawn is something good as well…_

Arthur closed his eyes and concentrated hard despite the tumult in his ears, calling for his Pawn through his mind. He saw green light through his closed eyes, telling him that his Pawn was summoned. _Please let it be something strong!_ He thought as he opened his eyes.

"Meep!"

Arthur opened his eyes to see a mint green bunny with wings. It stared at him with wide black eyes, as if waiting for a command. _Well._ He petted the thing's head, noticing how adorable it was. _I should've known that that bunny thing would jinx me._

The din suddenly stopped. "What..." Arthur looked up to see that Roderich was staring at it with dumbstruck eyes, as if not sure how to react to a Royal summoning something as odd as a bunny-flying-creature-thing. "Just... what is that thing?"

_Now or never!_ He took the sudden silence as the perfect time for an attack. "Flying Mint Bunny!" Arthur called it the first thing he could think of. "Attack!"

Flying Mint Bunny flapped its wings in response. To Arthur's great surprise, a great green mini-whirlwind followed, going towards Roderich's direction.

"Rest," Roderich flicked his violin bow and stopped the whirlwind in its tracks, the wind dissolving into the air.

_Impossible!_ Arthur heard another "Discord" and tried to ignore the uproar that followed_. Pawns are almost always the same strength regardless of user, so how is his Pawn strong enough to negate my attack? Unless..._ Arthur ordered Flying Mint Bunny for another attack, barely hearing his own voice over the noise.

_I really hope that Alfred's okay; if I'm right, then the Coracine King has-!"_

'''''

Ludwig walked across the carpeted halls, his hands tracing the wall at his left. To his right were arched windows that showed an unnatural midnight scene, unnatural in the way they were battling in the middle of the afternoon. Blue light emitted from the torches at the side, but when Ludwig studied them closer, wisps of blood red would occasionally come out. With the limited moonlight, the hall was as dark as night, and Ludwig couldn't help but feel a little chilled.

_So this is what Feliciano's mind is like…_ Ludwig thought as he looked at a small table at the side of the wall, an unusually bright orange lily sitting on a vase on top of it. Ludwig looked at the flower, enraptured in its happy colors. _It's a bit like the Coracine castle itself, but there are noticeable differences…_

He kept on walking, keeping his eyes out for any of the enemy Royals. _If only I could remember what I learned about battling when I was younger…_ All he could remember was waking up in a forest, his brother shaking him awake. _They told me that when I was younger, I was sick most of the time, so it's natural that I didn't learn how to battle…_ He furrowed his eyebrows. _That doesn't explain why I don't remember anything from my Coracine childhood at all; all I remember is waking up in that forest with Gilbert finding me there, asking me questions and finally telling me that I am 'Ludwig', his brother. Apparently, the name 'Ludwig' holds importance in Coracinus, but I still haven't figured out why; no one is willing to talk about it, not even Feliciano…_

Ludwig sighed and shook his head. Now wasn't the time to ponder about his forgotten past; there was time enough to do that later, when they were safe and away from battle. He walked on through the halls, tense in the quiet, with the only sound being the light tapping of his feet. He didn't know how long he walked through the halls- it could have taken minutes, seconds, or even hours- but it was when he reached the end of the corridor did he stop.

At the place where there was a left turn was a small portrait, as if someone had just taken a piece of paper and placed it in a frame. The picture was a sketch of a small child wearing a black hat and a black coat. The child was sitting in front of a table, his eyes on a map in deep concentration. It was hard to tell because of his hat, but Ludwig could see that his hair was slicked back exactly like his. The picture was drawn with a skilled, yet obviously young hand. Although there was no color, Ludwig felt a chill run through his back as he realized the uncanny resemblance between the child and himself.

_Is… Is that me?_ Ludwig took a closer look at the child. _I suppose that it could be, but why is it here? Did Feliciano know me when I was yo-_

A jolt went through his back, and Ludwig found himself dodging the blow by going behind the wall. He peered past the wall to see a rather tall man standing in the hallway, his figure pale in the darkness, bright violet eyes shining in the moonlight. When Ludwig looked at the painting, he found that it was now lined with frost, apparently taking the blow he had so narrowly dodged.

"Ufu, I missed," His words were strangely high-pitched compared to his intimidating stature. Next to him was an elderly man wearing what looked like a black helmet over his snow white hair. The elder's coat seemed to dissolve in the air, as if he didn't have a substantial body. "I'm surprised though, that my Pawn takes the shape of such a cold being. Oh well, he does his job, da?" He shrugged, the air seemed to get even colder with the intimidating man's every word. "Now who are you?"

Ludwig took a breath and stepped outside, facing the figure with as much courage as he could muster. "I am the Coracine Rook, Ludwig… Beilschmidt," he paused, since he was never used to using Gilbert's surname for his own.

"Ah, so _you're_ the Rook," the strange man seemed to be happier at this discovery. "I am Ivan Braginski, the Eburnean Rook," he smiled at him. "I hope you're as strong as our Bishop says you are, or else it won't be so fun a battle, da?"

"Yes," _Kiku was right; the Eburnean Rook is not to be trifled with._ "I hope so as well."

Ludwig unsheathed his claymore from its hilt and used it to deflect the oncoming attack, his mind completely immersed on the battle he was fighting.

'''''''

Kiku walked through the rows of bookcases, his eyes regarding the covers with slight interest. He didn't know how long he had stayed in the library, but he knew that quite some time has passed since he first woke up in the Castle.

_These are mostly cookbooks..._ Kiku noted as he skimmed through the titles, noticing the absurd amount of food related titles. _I wonder if there's anything else... I haven't seen much so far; there were some albums and a few parchments of letters, but I didn't dare look through those._ He knew that Castles were made from the user's- in this case, Feliciano's- mind, so pretty much everything in the library represented some part of Feliciano.

He kept on walking through the bookcases, his feet barely making a sound on the green carpeted floor. Unlike the other parts of the castle he'd seen (which was only the hallway outside the library; he had wanted to explore the full interior of the room before leaving), this room was cheery compared to the darker Castle, with bright yellow light coming from a huge, golden chandelier hanging in the middle of the room. Under the chandelier were mahogany tables, one of them holding a rather outdated map that held no special interest. On either side of the tables were rows and rows of bookcases- the ones Kiku was looking at right now- and behind the tables were double staircases with golden handrails.

Kiku went back to the center of the room sometime later, finished with his search. He gripped his staff tightly, not really sure when to use it. _I know that I am fighting a battle right now, but I didn't know it was this difficult; the way they described it to me, it was like they were fighting right from the start, but I haven't even found my opponent! _He thought as he climbed one of the staircases. Although Kiku had seen many times before how a battle was fought, he had never fought one himself, unlike most Coracine men... But then again, he wasn't a native Coracine.

_I wonder how he's doing… _A sudden thought popped up in his mind, and he found himself thinking of people he had left behind in his last kingdom, a topic he rather not remember. _After I left, I haven't heard from him at all… I hope I don't see him here; I don't want to fight him a second time..._

Kiku stopped when he was at the top of the stairs, his eyes on the figure that was sitting there, arms crossed over his chest, apparently asleep. Kiku didn't even need to see the staff propped at his side to recognize him as a Bishop.

"Mr. Bonnefoy?" He didn't want to fight Francis when he was asleep; that was dishonorable. "Please wake up; we're in the middle of a battle."

Francis jolted awake. "Ah Kiku, what a surprise to see you," he stood up, and Kiku noticed the book in his hands. "How long have you been here? I was skimming this book, but it appears that I fell asleep in the middle of it," Francis laughed, placing the book away in the bookshelf behind him.

"Indeed?" Kiku tried to take a look at the title, but Francis was covering it. "What book? You do realize that we are in what is basically Feliciano's mind? What could possibly interest you here?"

Francis waved a hand. "Oh, it was just a cookbook. Lately, my cooking skills has dropped since I've been busy with some things lately, so I thought it might be a good idea to look at some recipes to try out later. How about you?" He let out a wry grin. "How are you holding up in your first battle?"

"It's alright," Kiku kept his face blank. "Although I think we should be actually battling instead of conversing like this."

"I suppose," Francis picked up his staff. "I hope this will be a good battle."

"I agree," Kiku bowed. "It will be an honor to fight you, Mr. Bonnefoy."

"Same goes for me _mon cher_," Francis smiled, then both of them began summoning their Pawns. Two rings of magic appeared, one white and orange, the other one white and red.

''''''

Feliciano slumped in his throne- or what was a copy of it. He sat in a room that was exactly like the Coracine throne room- right down to the throne positions and the chandelier- except this time, he wasn't surrounded by his friends.

_Ow._ He propped his right arm on the throne's armrests, using his hand to support his throbbing head. _I didn't know it would hurt so much… Maybe I shouldn't have been so hasty… It's just my first battle; I could've just used it later._

He let out a sigh, his eyes wearily glancing over the room, noticing how empty it was. _I wish I was back at the_ actual _throne room with the others instead of battling… _His head throbbed some more._ I wish that I didn't have to battle at all… but that's impossible since-_

Feliciano sighed again, placing both of his arms on the arm rest. He cast his eyes on the chandelier, the blue light filling the room with a red glare.

_It has already begun._


	4. Not a Good Start

Alfred woke up, his head feeling as if it would split open.

_Oww..._ He got up and felt around his head, which thankfully wasn't bleeding. _That was a pretty hard hit…_ Alfred was glad Arthur wasn't here; it would be pretty pathetic to tell him that in his first battle as King, he got terrified by a sound and ran straight into a wall. Mind you, he was stuck in a poorly-lit dungeon and said dungeons were known for having ghosts or other such scary things (unless he had been lied to when he was young, which in hindsight, was very likely).

Warily looking around the dungeon, he realized that the torches hanging on the spaces between the dungeon cells were now lit with an unusual blue flame. In front of him were said cells, ones of which he didn't see when he first arrived in the Castle because of the dark. He didn't dare look inside of them in fear of a ghost, but he managed to see some chains and a shabby board for a bed. Alfred himself was standing in a rather narrow corridor made with dark stones. Up ahead was a spiral staircase, presumably a way out.

_How long was I out? _It would be embarrassing if he had missed most of the battle because of a knock-out. Alfred walked on ahead, climbing up the stairs with an uncomfortable feeling in his gut. _Obviously the battle hasn't ended yet seeing as the Castle is still standing… I'm glad that none of the Coracine Royals got to me though; would have been sad if I lost my first King battle that way._

Alfred looked back behind him, realizing that he couldn't see the path behind him despite the torches that were lined up at the wall. _What a creepy Castle… _He gulped. _If Castles are supposed to reflect the mind of the King that summoned it, I'd hate to meet him. _

He opened the wooden door, revealing a rather depressing corridor. _I know black is one of the main colors of Coracinus, but this is just…_ He took in a deep breath and started walking, his mind going through the mental rituals he usually went through whenever he was in a battle.

_You can't get hurt here. You can't get killed here. _While fighting was one of the integral parts of the battle, it was hard to actually do damage to others- or at least, damage that lasted. From what Alfred remembered from Arthur's speech, damage in the Castles were…'cushioned' somehow. Even though you had to knock out an opponent to get them out of the battle, none of the methods to do so were lethal nor did it do any fatal damage. All that happened when a Royal or a Pawn was knocked out was that they would be transported to a safe place for the rest of the battle; they were even healed when they got there. _You can't get hurt, you can't get killed…_

_But what about whe-?_

_No,_ Alfred refused to think about that time. _That was the Coracines' fault; they're the bad guys for a reason after all. Just don't think about it, just don't- Agh, just calm down. Anger's the last thing you need in battles like this._ He took in deep breaths, another part of his calming-down ritual. Alfred took a look of where he was. A few doors were now on his left side, but Alfred made no move to go inside.

_The first thing I should do is look for the others, and I have a feeling that they aren't in any of those rooms._ He didn't know why, but he felt as if he would recognize if any of his companions were close. _I hope they're all alright…_

_After all, anything can happen in these battles._

'

Arthur slammed the door shut, finding himself in a wide hallway, presumably the main hallway. He leaned back and took a breath, exhaustion crashing into him from running away from the Coracine Knight. His head pounded as he recollected his thoughts.

_Just as I thought,_ He looked over at Flying Mint Bunny, who was barely managing to fly. He saw Arthur looking at him and placed on a brave smile as if to say that he could still fight. Arthur brought him closer to him as he slowly walked away from the door. _The Coracine King used his Power... although _why _he did so I still don't know. _ Using Powers at the start of a war- and their first one at that- was not unheard of, but it was very unusual and rare to actually do so. _I don't understand… why would the Coracine King use his Power so early in the war? There isn't much strategic gain and it's wholly impractical. _Although Powers significantly helped in battle, there was a side-effect for each use, none of them desirable in the least. _I have no idea what the side-effect for the Coracine Power is seeing as how Kingdoms don't go around spewing their Power's effects, but judging from the fact that Coracine Kings are known for going mad, it can't be any good._

Arthur started to run, ignoring the pain shooting through his body in favor for searching for a room where he could recover. _I should just focus on the battle; any minute now and Edelstein could be coming after me. _He opened a door tentatively and entered the room, finding himself in a study much like the one in the Eburnean castle. He hid behind a table and slumped to the ground. _Not good. I used up all my energy trying to get away from him. It's no use fighting him; I held on as long as I could, but I don't stand a chance against him in his overpowered state. _

He started to tend to Flying Mint Bunny's wounds, even though he knew that it was no use. _As far as everyone knows, the Coracine Power is one of the deadlier Powers of the bunch. If I'm right, it should be the Power to enhance the damage given by their Royals; I was only hit a few times, and already I look as if I'm on the brink of death._ He glanced at Flying Mint Bunny's state, who looked as if he was only held together by the barest of skin. _With a Power like that, I have no doubt in my mind that it has a devastating side-effect… So why would the Coracine King use it in the first place? _He sighed. _This doesn't make any sense… _

Arthur got up after he did the best he could with Flying Mint Bunny. _I'm not sure if I'm in any condition to do this, but I think it would be best if I summoned another Pawn. It may not do much, but I doubt Flying Mint Bunny can hold for much longer, and-_

Waves of black blanketed his vision as an earsplitting whine filled the room. He felt a vague sensation of falling before he blacked out.

'

Ivan watched disappointedly as Ludwig was covered in light, his body disappearing with them after a few seconds. He looked around his body for any wounds, doing the same for his Pawn.

"And to think that you're related to Little Beilschmidt," Ivan remarked after finishing his search. While Ludwig did give Ivan a hard time, it was almost as if he didn't know anything about the ways of battle. "I suppose I shouldn't be ungrateful. If he had more experience, I doubt I would have been able to win in the first place," he rubbed his arm, trying not to wince as his hand went over his wounds.

He started to walk away from the battle-scene, his Pawn in tow. "To think, the Coracine King used his Power already… I wonder just how vengeful Coracinus is?" he let out a small giggle before turning serious again. He turned to his stoic faced Pawn. "This will be a very odd war, don't you think?"

Ivan didn't wait for the answer, knowing that he wouldn't have gotten one in the first place. "I suppose it's none of my business, da? It doesn't matter what I think of the war- just how I fight it," he smiled, his Pawn just looking at him stoically.

The two walked in silence. Eventually, they reached the place where they first ran into Ludwig. The signs of their earlier battle were everywhere, although the frost was starting to thaw. Ivan stared at the painting at the end of the hall pensively, his eyes narrowing.

"The similarities are uncanny…" he observed. "And his fighting style is similar to his brother's... It's almost like he _is_ him…," His hands trailed over the boy's face. "But that doesn't make any sense…"

Ivan placed his hand down then smirked, his violet eyes shining in the moonlight. "Ufu, an odd war indeed…"

'

Francis pointed the end of his staff at a battered Kiku, who was crouching on his knees, his staff uselessly on the ground. Both men were worn and tattered; Francis doubted that he could hurt a fly at his present state. They stood at the top of the staircase again, the library around them ruined, fallen bookcases, torn pages, and shattered tables showing the intensity of their battle.

"Are you ready to admit defeat?" Francis asked tiredly, hoping that he managed to wear down his opponent enough to get him to concede defeat. "Both of our Pawns have been defeated, and it seems that I am the better man at the moment."

Kiku looked up at him, an unreadable expression on his face. "I know that I'm in no state to ask, but…" he paused for a moment, his eyes widening a fraction more and then returning to normal so quickly that Francis thought that he had just imagined the movement.

"Kiku?" Francis contemplated just defeating him now, but something held him back. The other man looked back up at him, although the air around him seemed different now.

"Tell me…" Francis was surprised to see a new energy in his opponent's eyes. "Who exactly is your Queen? I…" he bit his lip. "I didn't see her last time I visited."

"It's a bit strange actually," Francis remembered the day when the Coracine Bishop visited them. "I don't know why our Queen outright refused to see you. It was quite the rude thing to do and also very uncharacteristic of our Queen to do so."

"Why do you only say 'our Queen'?" It was a bit hard to tell, but Francis guessed that Kiku was getting a little impatient. "I'm sorry to intrude, but given our circumstances…" he coughed then cleared his throat. "As I was saying, does your Queen not like being called by her given name?"

Francis chuckled. "On our side of the Caelestis Mountains, we prefer to call each other by our title or our last names, although our King and our Knight regularly forget that tradition," he chuckled again. "And you really should stop addressing our Queen as 'her'. Even if the title of 'Queen' is normally a female role, males occasionally take up that role as well."

"He is male?"

"I don't see why you're so surprised," Francis knitted his eyebrows at Kiku's unusually shocked expression. "It's more of a surprise that he was chosen as Queen so soon. I don't know what Jones was thinking when he made him Queen; my money was on Kirkland."

"I… Alright," Kiku nodded, looking a bit disoriented. "What is his name then?"

"He introduced himself to us in a rather odd way, but he is a foreigner after all," Francis interrupted Kiku before he talked. "At any rate, the proper ordering of his name would be 'Yao Wang'," Francis tilted his head as Kiku looked down. "Why do you ask?"

Kiku continued to look down. He didn't answer Francis, nor did he indicate that he would. Francis shrugged. "I suppose that's it then. Well then, this was a good battle Kik-"

"I apologize, Mr. Bonnefoy," Francis jolted back as Kiku wobbly stood up. "I wished for this to be a fair fight, but I believe that it cannot be that way anymore."

"What are you-?"

Something punched him in the back. Francis fell, the last thing he saw before he fainted being long brown hair.

'

Feliciano fell down as he opened the door that led out of the throne room. He caught his breath then shakily stood up, using the door as support.

"Uuh!" Feliciano doubled over and clutched his head. "Uuuh… Powers hurt…" He took a breath and kept on walking, trying to ignore the massive headache he had. "I wonder how my predecessors handled using their Power? I find it unbearable…"

He sighed and kept walking on, trusting his feet to lead him somewhere safe. _I probably shouldn't use my Power again in this war… It's not something to be taken advantage of… _He bit his lip. _But I have to… There's no way I'll be able to defeat Eburneus without it… And if I don't crush Eburneus, then my people won't be happy…_

Feliciano shook his head. _The last war we fought was a disgrace as well as a heavy loss; if I don't win this war, then I might find myself in the middle of a civil war. _He closed his eyes, remembering the last King. _This is all my fault…_

"Agreed."

Feliciano whipped behind him and was faced with a rather attractive woman in an exotic dress. The only reason that he didn't hit on her was because she was wearing Eburnean colors. "Miss, do you happen to be-?"

"Aiyaa!" Feliciano jumped back at the somewhat manly voice. "Why must I always be mistaken for a woman? Do I look female to you aru? !"

"Um…"

The woman glared at him while fanning herself. "Don't answer that! At any rate, you are right to believe that this whole thing is your fault. If you hadn't messed up all those years ago, all of this wouldn't have happened!"

"Wha… how…?" Feliciano took a step back. "How did you kn-?" Feliciano opened his eyes and examined the woman carefully. "Who are you?"

"My name is Wang Yao- or Yao Wang if you prefer- and I am the Eburnean Queen," Yao snapped his fan shut and pointed it at Feliciano. "And I will end you for what you have done."

* * *

_Merry Christmas everyone ^u^ I'll be uploading each of my stories and putting up 2 one-shots, so Merry Christmas! (I didn't upload at all this month until now just so that it was special.)_


	5. End of the First

_Changed the summary to better fit the story. Can't wait for the new Hetalia season btw, it's coming out on my birthday too (sort of. There are two dates, one of which is my birthday). Anyways, enjoy!_

_P.S. I apologize for not being able to write battle-scenes well._

* * *

Feliciano was stunned. _He… how did he know what I was thinking? More importantly…_

_How does he know about that time?_

Feliciano staggered. The other was a foreigner, there was no doubt about that. Eburneus was filled with a myriad of people, but something in Feliciano knew that this man had come from somewhere else. So how did he know? "You… How did y-?"

He barely had time to react. Quick as a flash, Yao sent forth a great beast, light shining as white and red filled his vision. When he regained his vision, Feliciano saw that the other's Pawn was a magnificent shade of green, red running along its scaly spine. The creature's eyes fixed him with a cold gaze, long whiskers twitching as its claws gleamed in its glow.

_H…how is that possible?! _Feliciano backed away slowly. _Not even Elizabeta can summon a Pawn as big as his, even with my Power supplying her with strength! _His head pounded painfully. _Just… just who is he?!_

"Hm…" Yao inspected his Pawn with slight fascination. "Now that's interesting…" He ran a hand over its side. "As far as I know, no Queen has ever summoned a Pawn such as this one… but then again, no Queen has ever been like me."

"What…" The pressure in Feliciano's head was unbearable. "Just who are…?"

Without a word, otherworldly flames spewed out of the creature's jaw. Feliciano narrowly dodged to the side, the fire coming dangerously close to his clothes.

"Interesting…" Yao watched as the flames disappeared before hitting the wall. He turned back to Feliciano. "Sadly, it abides by the rules as I do, but I assure you…" His expression became cold yet was also slightly distant, as if something else was occupying his mind. "I won't miss again."

Feliciano ran.

'''''''

Alfred walked on the wide and dark corridor, body tense yet his mind not paying any attention to his surroundings. Doors on both sides loomed over him, shadows dancing in the eerie glow of torchlights. Silence hung in the air, his footsteps thudding on the floor.

_What…_ He didn't know why, but he felt as if something was wrong. _Trust your instincts; they're what can save you in this war._

He started to round a corner, footsteps stopping him in his tracks. Alfred paused.

_I need to be careful._ Kings were almost useless in battle. Against Royals with their Pawns and all, Kings had nothing against them except their own skills, which would be useless against Pawns. Kings' Powers- although great- had unfavorable side effects, and it didn't help that Alfred had no idea what his own Power was. While Kings usually told their successors what their Powers were, Eburnean Kings had a history of not knowing what their own Power was. Without knowing about their Power- how to summon it, under which circumstances it could be summoned, how powerful it was- they were the same as an average human when it came to battles. Alfred wished he knew what his Power was; enemy kingdoms feared Eburneus for many reasons, one of which was their Power. Humans feared the unknown, and those who had been subject under their Power could not find the words to describe it. A Power like that could easily win the war as far as Alfred could tell…

If only he knew what it was.

He shook his head. _Focus! You can't slip now!_

Alfred pressed himself against the wall, ready to charge in for a surprise attack. Judging by the sound of the footsteps, they were too close for him to run away and going inside any of the doors would make too much noise. The best he could hope for was to knock them out or stun them enough to get a decent chance of escape.

_Seems like my Pawn experience will finally pay off._

He struck as soon as he glimpsed the smallest slip of skin. Unfortunately, his hand was caught immediately, an achingly tight grip locking his fist in place. Alfred looked up to see a beautiful woman looking down on him, amusement on her face.

"Well, it seems that I finally found him." She looked away from Alfred. "Roderich, Kiku, you should come see this."

_Shit. _For a King to be trapped by an enemy Queen was one thing, but to be outnumbered 3-1 while at it? _That Power would _really_ be useful right about now._

Two other figures appeared in front of Alfred. Who Alfred assumed was the Knight looked as fit as a fiddle, while his companion Kiku looked ready to break. Alfred flashed a smile.

"Hey Kiku. Didn't think I'd meet you like this." A complete lie. Alfred knew that he would be forced to face off every Coracine Royal, but he quite liked Kiku when the other visited their kingdom as per Bishop tradition. He was actually reluctant to have to fight him, but a King had to do his duty.

Kiku had the ghost of a smile in his eyes. "I see you're the same as always Mr. Jones, even at the face of adversity."

"A true King shows no fear, nor do they lose face when met with defeat." Alfred kept his smile, although it was a bit more forced this time. Try as he might, he was powerless against three Royals. Defeat was practically imminent.

But then what kind of King would he be to bow out so easily?

_If I'm going to lose, it won't be without a fight. _He eyed Kiku. _Better yet, why not take someone down with me?_

"Funny, even with both your Knight and Bishop defeated you still manage to hold yourself together." Alfred stiffened at the Queen's words, her words distracting him from his plan. _Francis has been defeated? And so has Arthur?! _His blood ran cold as he turned to her._ Things are worse than I thought…_ He refused to show his despair, hiding it with a wink.

"I try my best you know? Can't have people seeing me break down now, can we?" He widened his smile. "Would be totally uncool if I did."

The Knight looked at him in mild surprise. "It truly is a pity that we have to fight you. You seem like a decent man, and Kiku seems to have found a friend in y-"

He didn't finish his sentence. A cold burst of air flew into the room, shards of ice aimed at the Queen. With lightning reflexes, the Knight shielded her from the attack, taking the blow. Alfred watched, transfixed as the Coracine Knight was engulfed by light.

"Roderich!" The Queen let go of Alfred's fist, reaching out uselessly at empty air. "No… but how?!"

"That would be me."

They all turned to their left. From the shadows Ivan emerged, battered but strong enough to finish off a (albeit unprepared) Royal in one hit. He was joined with a wispy old man, presumably his Pawn. "With this, the score should be even, da? Two down on our side, two down on yours."

"Two, but then…" Kiku grasped his staff tighter. "I see you ran into Ludwig."

"All the more reason for revenge then." The Queen glowered at the other, an aura of absolute rage emitting off of her. Ivan was indifferent.

"My King, I would advise you to leave." He spoke without turning to Alfred. "I can't have you getting caught in the crossfire, as it would cost us the battle."

"I don't care." Alfred stood his ground. "If we take down these two, then that will only leave their King left."

"If you are hit, then you will be done for. Their King has activated their Power, and one hit can easily do you in."

_That explains a lot._ Alfred thought. _Doesn't change my opinion though. _"You're not exactly in top-shape right now Braginski, so I suggest you accept my help. If I'm going down, so be it, but I refuse to be a coward."

Ivan narrowed his eyes at him. Neither men liked each other very much, but both had developed a somewhat grudging respect for the other over time. Alfred was King, and Ivan had been chosen as Rook because of his fighting skills; both recognized the other's position, so it was foolish to start up a petty argument. His violet eyes sparked with irritation, but he kept it in check. "Have it your way then."

"If you two are done…" The Coracine Queen cracked her knuckles. "I am Elizabeta Hedervary, Queen of Coracinus. Prepare to meet your end."

The fight began.

'

Feliciano ran and ran. Meanwhile, fire followed doggedly behind him, disappearing after a few seconds only for another burst to come.

_What should I do?_ Running was Feliciano's specialty, but it was only a matter of time until Yao's Pawn caught up. _What should I do, what should I do, what should I do…_

His head felt like it was going to explode. _Aaah… Make it stop…_

He ran and ran, not daring to stop.

'

Alfred quickly went for Kiku. He aimed for his gut, but was quickly blocked by his opponent's staff. Using his other hand, he threw another punch as fast as he could. It landed on the smaller man's gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"Kiku, are you alright?" Elizabeta looked away only for Ivan to aim another ice shard at her. She moved to the side and ran towards Ivan, black and blue light engulfing her fist.

"I assure you, I'll be fine!" Kiku pushed Alfred away with his staff. Alfred jumped back, prepared to charge again. "Please, just focus on your battle!"

Alfred lunged again.

'

Feliciano ran into a room, closing the door behind him. The dining room stretched on for ages, although…

_Is… is it me or are the floor and walls...?_

His head pounded again.

_Hurts…_

'

"Wo… woah!"

The floor twisted beneath Alfred, throwing him off-balance. He tripped on his foot, causing him to fall sideways. The area around him started to distort, the ground and the walls swirling together.

Kiku took his chance to trap Alfred with his staff. The staff jabbed Alfred's chest, forcing Alfred's back to lie on the floor. The Coracine Bishop stood over him, but he did not face him.

"Ms. Hedervary…" Kiku glanced quickly at the other, who was still locked into battle with Ivan as if nothing was happening.

"Focus Kiku, finish him off!" Her Pawn, which was curiously a fry pan, deflected one of Ivan's ice shards.

Kiku nodded and raised his staff, striking as soon as he could.

'

The door behind him flung open.

"I won't let you get away!"

Feliciano skirted under the table, the flames barely missing him by a hair. He moved to the other side before Yao could attack the table.

_It hurts…_ Tears stung Feliciano's eyes as he ran for the other side. His feet didn't stop moving, even as the ground rose and fell in waves beneath him.

_It hurts so much…_

'

In a stroke of luck, the ground underneath Alfred suddenly rose in a wave, throwing both men off. Kiku's staff was knocked away from his hand, and Kiku himself landed on his back with a thud. Alfred had not been so lucky, almost falling face-first if he had not used his hands to cushion his fall.

"What the…" Alfred struggled to stand back up as the floor rose in waves. _Why is the Castle acting so oddly?_

Alfred pushed the question out of his mind. "Hey, are you okay?!" He screamed to Ivan, who had fallen as well and was in the process of standing back up.

"I'll be fine, just-"

He rolled out of the way as Elizabeta landed where he previously was. Somehow, she was moving fine despite wearing heels.

Alfred turned away as Elizabeta struck at Ivan, who blocked her blow with his arm. _He'll be fine…_ Alfred thought, ignoring the little voice in his mind that told him of Elizabeta's current super-powered state. His eyes glanced across the corridor, which seemed to alternate between growing wider and thinner, taller and shorter. His eyes caught something._ In the meanwhile…_

Alfred made a sprint for Kiku's abandoned staff.

'

_That little-!_

"Go!" Yao ordered to his Pawn, which had somehow turned out to be a dragon. The dragon obeyed and instead of staying by Yao's side like he had before, surged forward to catch up with the fleeing King.

_You won't run away from me!_ Yao followed behind his dragon. Memories floated into his mind, despite all efforts to push them back. _If you hadn't committed that crime all those years ago, everything would be fine!_

He gritted his teeth. Yao knew the rules; even if he managed to harm the King, it would not last. Even in his rage-induced state, he could not defy the rules he had lived alongside with for so many years. Despite his efforts, the King would live to fight another day.

_Even so, he must pay for the crime he's been evading for so long._

They reached the end of the hall.

'

Kiku saw Alfred and made a break for his staff as well. Alfred reached the staff first. He picked it up from the ground and held it. The wood felt odd in his hands, the unnatural color unnerving Alfred to no end. He turned back to Kiku and thrust the staff forward, hitting the other square in the chest. Kiku fell back as Alfred continued his surge of attacks.

"I've been meaning to ask, but why haven't you send out any of your Pawns?" Although Alfred had the upper hand now, he was curious as to why Kiku wasn't going all out. Was he toying with Alfred, or was he hiding something?

"Mr. Bonnefoy had beaten them," Kiku spoke effortlessly as he protected himself from Alfred's blows with his arms. He fixed Alfred with a dark brown gaze. "If it isn't too much to ask, I would like my staff back."

He caught the end of the staff, twisting it out of the Alfred's grip.

'

_No…_ Feliciano felt a pit form in his stomach as he saw the dead-end. _Nononononononononono…._

"Looks like you have nowhere else to run, little King."

Feliciano whipped back to see Yao walking up to him, his dragon in tow.

"Why… why…" Feliciano slumped to the ground. His head thumped. _Thump, thump…_

"I think you know that for yourself."

_Thump, thump, thump…_

"You… you shouldn't care! You… you're not Eburnean _or_ Coracine!"

_Thumpthumpthump…_

"Of course not. As for why I should care, I have no need to explain myself to you."

_Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump…_

'

Alfred had barely any time to react as Kiku attacked him with renewed energy. He hopped backwards as a flurry of jabs, thrusts, and whacks furiously went at him. His arms started to grow sore from defending himself.

_No…_ Alfred kept blocking as much as he could, ignoring the pain he felt at each hit. _I can't lose now!_

Alfred lost his footing and stumbled back. Kiku positioned his staff to strike.

'

"Now then." Yao narrowed his eyes. "It's time to end this battle."

_N…no…_

Feliciano screwed his eyes all the way shut. Even with his eyes closed, he could see a black and blue light surrounding him as his head exploded with pain.

'

The staff connected with Alfred's body. The hit was intense, as if a sun had burrowed its way into his body.

Alfred fainted.

* * *

_I sincerely apologize for putting you guys through my first attempt to write action. I will go hide in a corner now. At any rate, sorry for the short update and I hope you stick around!_


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